Wrist watch bands are often sold separate from the watches to which they are to be attached. One reason for this is that styles in watch bands change more rapidly than styles in watches and watch cases and, during the life of the watch, wearers therefore frequently use several different watch bands. Another reason is that the preference of the user for watch bands of different types such as plastic, metal, snake chain, buckle secured, or expansible may change from season to season or at the whim of the person concerned.
One problem presented to the manufacturer of watch bands sold separately from watches is that the watch case lugs between which the watch band end attachments are to be secured are not uniformly spaced in all watches. The watch band manufacturer therefore has been forced to make watch bands having a variety of widths of end attachments so as to fit various watch sizes or else the jeweler from whom the watch band is bought must perform delicate and time consuming operations on the end attachment to make it fit a particular watch. These tasks are expensive for the watch band manufacturer and for the retail dealer.
There have been many proposed solutions of the problem over a long period of time.
In one group of prior art patents the elements of the end attachment of the watch bands must be removed, and/or replaced, and/or filed by the retail jeweler to cause the end attachment to fit watches having different distances between the lugs. This is a troublesome and time consuming task for the retail jeweler. Such patents include the following U.S. patents:
Patent No. Date Inventor ______________________________________ 1,836,772 December 15, 1931 Rossman 2,883,727 March 12, 1957 Obst 3,118,209 January 21, 1964 Vollet 3,675,284 July 11, 1972 Rieth 3,678,544 July 25, 1972 Bert ______________________________________
In another group of prior art patents the part of the end connector which directly encircles the slideable width adjusting elements cannot be impressed with deep designs to match the design of the links of the watch band without interfering with slideability of the width adjusting elements. Such patents include the following U.S. patents:
Patent No. Date Inventor ______________________________________ 1,713,533 May 21, 1929 Jones 2,653,369 September 25, 1953 Rodrigues 3,160,938 December 15, 1964 Minutoli 3,477,107 November 11, 1969 Nadeau 3,705,456 December 12, 1972 Bruner 3,740,804 June 26, 1973 Levinger ______________________________________
While patent to Fachon U.S. Pat. No. 2,775,861 recognizes the desirability of providing a continuation of the design of the links of the watch band to the end connector it solves the problem by providing a separate filler member between the spring bar and the watch case and the spring bar interrupts the continuity of the design. Furthermore in this patent no means are provided for adjusting the width of the end connector to fit between differently spaced lugs of watch bands.
In a still further group of patents spring actuated members are provided for automatically adjusting the width of the end connector to fit between differently spaced lugs of watches but the end connectors are very expensive to manufacture and are incapable of using self-contained generally tubular components which can be automatically assembled by machinery prior to assembling an ornamental top shell of the end connector to the self-contained component. Such patents include the following U.S. patents:
Patent No. Date Inventor ______________________________________ 2,713,445 July 19, 1955 Speck 2,807,855 October 1, 1959 Rodriguez 3,217,374 November 16, 1965 Sang 3,030,686 April 24, 1962 Burkhardt 3,477,107 November 11, 1969 Nadeau 3,707,744 January 2, 1973 Manzo ______________________________________
From the foregoing prior art it is apparent that there has been a recognized long-felt need for an end attachment for watch bands for use in attaching a watch band between attachment lugs of wrist watch cases which is economical to manufacture and assemble, can be deeply impressed with the design of the links of the watch band, does not require the retail dealer to stock either watch bands having end attachments of different widths or additional replacement parts and can be quickly and easily adapted by the retailer to fit between the lugs of watches which are spaced different distances apart without removing and/or replacing and/or filing elements of the end connector.